PATNA, June 24 -- A garbage dump touching a water body, which is annually settled for fishing by the government and links to the swollen river Gandak in Chorma gram panchayat of East Champaran district of Bihar during monsoon, has evoked continued protests from villagers, who want it to be shifted elsewhere citing multiple reasons, the prime being environmental. They say the garbage dump yard has been built by the Pakdi Dayal nagar panchayat without seeking the opinion of the locals and is used to dump litter from the town over five kms away bordering the water body despite the fact that a health and wellness centre, inaugurated by CM Nitish Kumar on February 27, 2024 (still non-functional and in locks), a mosque, Primary Agriculture Cooperative Society (PACS) office and a Dalit Tola, are located nearby. "There is real threat of garbage mixing with swollen water body during rains to contaminate it, which would also affect fishing and local population. The government settles it for fishing every year, but the wall of the garbage dump has been erected right over the stretch. During monsoon, water overflows on the road. There is agriculture land all around," said Kapildeo Sahni, a local fishermen. Ranjit Patel and Lokesh Kunar, local youth activists, said the villagers petitioned the sub-divisional officer (SDO), the district magistrate and also met them with their request for relocation of the garbage dump, but to no avail. "Some villagers out of sheer desperation also broke the boundary wall due to stink and fear of disease, as the garbage also includes untreated hospital waste and some foetuses were also found. The administration lodged cases against them and got the walls constructed under police protection. We have nothing against the government. All that we want is it should be relocated elsewhere," they added. The issue has now started acquiring political overtones in the election-bound state. Last week, a Swasth Evan Paryavaran Samvad was organised at Chorma, in which local leaders, a potential candidate of the RJD as well as environmental experts voiced their concern over the location of the garbage dump without assessing its social and environmental impact. "I am surprised how this was allowed by the administration without holding any 'Aam Sabha' or assessing the environmental impact. It appears to be a crime against humanity and shows lack of sensitivity to poor villagers and regard for a naturally beautiful place," said US-educated Shashwat Gautam, who once worked for Nitish Kumar and later joined the Congress after the fall of the Grand Alliance (GA) government to work with Rahul Gandhi as national coordinator of the Data Analytics Department, and is now general secretary of the RJD. Shashwat, who was vice chair of the academic affairs committee of the George Washington University students' association in 2012 and is now mostly staying in his village Chaita to work on rural innovation and farming, said he would take this matter to the highest level - be it the environmental ministry, national green tribunal (NGT), Parliament or, if required, the courts, as it could turn into a serious public health issue in the months to come. "I am amazed that the garbage dump has been built, but there is no signboard with details of the scheme under which it has been built, the cost involved and who passed it here. I am with the villagers," he added. Sanjiv Kumar, who did postdoctoral training in health economics and health policy from Yale University and visited the place, said, "Bihar has an ambitious Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali programme, but it has hit all three aspects. Bihar has also developed a state atlas of water bodies for their conservation. After all, everything is being done for the people and there is no harm in considering their concerns," he added. Madhuban MLA Rana Randhir of the BJP, however, said some people had also approached him with their demand and the work on the garbage dump, as per his information, had been stopped. "I have talked to the authorities after some people raised their concerns and I have been told that work has been stopped there," he added. SDO Pakdi Dayal said the project was being carried out by the Nagar Panchayat. "Only the executive officer will be able to speak about the matter," he added Nagar Panchayat executive officer Ajay Kumar, on the other hand, defended the construction, saying everything was being done as per the NGT guidelines, which lays down that a garbage processing unit could be built 200 metres away from the main river and 150 metres away from other water bodies. "There is a provision if there is no land available for garbage unit within the Nagar Pqnchayat, it could be built within five-km area. The circle officer has been mandated to make available the desired land. The garbage dump is coming up on the government land and once the boundary wall has been erected, it is detached from the water body. During rainy season, water spreads everywhere, but once the garbage processing unit is in place, there will be no danger of contamination," he added. Terming the protests as 'sheer politics', the executive officer said the tender process for the processing unit had got delayed, but it would be in place within six months. "Once that is functional, waste will be converted into fertiliser. There is no medical waste dumped there. There will also be employment opportunity for local labourers. The garbage processing unit of Chorma panchayat is also located close to it, though that is smaller," he added...